Help Us Move!

Help Us Move!

24

$1,675

Raised
(USD)

Days Left:
0

Goal:
$5,000

From Danyell Thillet

We're getting booted from our apartment after almost 4 years, and with no warning. The NYC housing market is bananas, and the upfront fees make it hard to get started without going further into debt. Any help is amazing!

Danyell Thillet

Recent Updates

Update #4

6 months ago

Well, we did it! It took a lot of work, stress, the help of 3 movers, 3 family members, 4 dear friends, and literally every ounce of physical strength we all had, but we DID IT. You never know how much you're loved until you have to move with less than a week's notice.

Hobbes had an extremely anxious Saturday. As anyone who's ever moved with a cat knows, they try to hide and then get very upset when movers pick up the hiding place and take it away! He's pictured here, hiding under the bed in our new home. He only stayed there for a few hours before starting to explore, way faster than our last move! He's already making use of all the new windows, and getting accustomed to different smells and noises.

We completely cleaned out the new apartment (and surprisingly got no guff from our old landlord), and now the work of making our new place make sense begins. We've already been stubbing our toes on stacked boxes and furniture that hasn't found its place yet. We have to make pathways so we can have an Internet hook up by this Thursday!

We would still appreciate any help people are willing to give, as we still owe a security deposit and partial broker's fee. Plus there are a few things we'll need to buy for our new place to get it ready. I will keep updating this page with any interesting developments. Thank you all so so much for your support! My muscles ache, but my heart and head feel so much lighter.

More Info

Mike & I were married in 2016, after settling into a Brooklyn apartment in a neighborhood we love. We have an amazing cat, Hobbes, who in spite of being a "senior", loves to run full-tilt-boogie down the hallways. 2017 ended up being a very rough financial year for us, but in 2018 we bounced back! We're steadily employed and working hard, and assumed that things were looking up.

After living in our apartment for almost 4 years, our landlord told us that he would not be renewing our lease and we had 6 weeks to find someone else to live. New York City real estate is really rough if you're still working to improve your credit (which we are). While we have no problem paying our current rent (or even slightly higher), the upfront costs of moving to a new place would really set us back, when we should be moving forward.

We don't like having to ask for handouts, but any generosity would be so appreciated. In addition to my full-time work, I'm also a freelance artist. You can see my work at danyellthillet.com. Any donators over $25 will receive a limited-edition digital artwork to document our move, plus any updates we post here.

Update #4

Well, we did it! It took a lot of work, stress, the help of 3 movers, 3 family members, 4 dear friends, and literally every ounce of physical strength we all had, but we DID IT. You never know how much you're loved until you have to move with less than a week's notice.

Hobbes had an extremely anxious Saturday. As anyone who's ever moved with a cat knows, they try to hide and then get very upset when movers pick up the hiding place and take it away! He's pictured here, hiding under the bed in our new home. He only stayed there for a few hours before starting to explore, way faster than our last move! He's already making use of all the new windows, and getting accustomed to different smells and noises.

We completely cleaned out the new apartment (and surprisingly got no guff from our old landlord), and now the work of making our new place make sense begins. We've already been stubbing our toes on stacked boxes and furniture that hasn't found its place yet. We have to make pathways so we can have an Internet hook up by this Thursday!

We would still appreciate any help people are willing to give, as we still owe a security deposit and partial broker's fee. Plus there are a few things we'll need to buy for our new place to get it ready. I will keep updating this page with any interesting developments. Thank you all so so much for your support! My muscles ache, but my heart and head feel so much lighter.

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Update #3

On Tuesday we got into a dispute with our landlord about last month's rent (whether or not it was paid, by when and to who) that we don't have the means to fight. Long-story-short, we went from having until the 31st to move out to...this weekend! Yup, we have to be completely gone by Sunday. I took my remaining 3 PTO days to stay home and pack. And Mike has been fighting off a flu.

The image on this page is a representation of not only the state of packing frenzy, but also probably what my brain looks like right now.

But I'm so grateful to know that we have so many supporters during this time. It also helps to know that after this weekend we'll be in a better situation, in every way.

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Update #2

We signed a lease!

Last night we signed a lease an amazing apartment, renovated and maintained by a lovely older couple. We went through a very exhausting 2 weeks with a different realtor (who wasn't very honest or good at her job) before finding someone who knew our financials weren't great, but believed in us and worked hard on our behalf.

The main concern now is that we still have some broker's fees and a security deposit to cover, but they are both giving us some leeway on that. Your continued support will help us to cover all costs in a timely manner and start things off on the right foot.

Thank you for all the help so far! We are truly touched by the generosity and kindness. You're really helping to not just put us into a new apartment, but a new home. Thank you! <3